New Milford dog park will soon be reality

Published 11:31 pm, Sunday, June 27, 2010

NEW MILFORD -- Soon Linda Pacheco's pet Maltese/poodle mix will no longer have to ride 20 minutes to play undisturbed with doggie friends.

By the end of July, Pacheco expects the 18-month-old puppy, Sophie, will be able to run off leash at the town's first official dog park on Pickett District Road.

The New Milford Dog Park organization has been working for more than a year to open the park on an acre of land Kimberly-Clark donated just north of its mill. The property is flat, so it's accessible to small and large dogs and owners with limited mobility.

Thanks to Fran Terry, who with her family donated $18,000 to cover the cost of fencing as a memorial to her husband, Norman, the park will soon be ready to open, park officials confirmed last week.

The park has space for cars.

Dog park enthusiasts also have permission to use the town-owned Hidden Treasures park on a peninsula next to the Housatonic River, but is more rugged terrain.

Hidden Treasures is a picturesque but undeveloped site that cannot be fenced, due to restrictions related to the river. There are also no parking areas nearby.

The Pickett District dog park group has hired a contractor to install the fencing and expects the work to be complete for a grand opening celebration in late July or early August, said Lori Sartwell, park committee president.

To generate enthusiasm for the opening, Pacheco said the park organizers are having a Name the Dog Park contest.

"We're hoping for a broad response,'' she said.

People young and old are encouraged to submit entries before June 30. They can make submissions online, by mail, by phone call or on Facebook, Pacheco said.